In its second consecutive year to be named to the list, Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC has cracked the top 50 of Fortune magazine’s annual “100 Best Companies to Work For” list.
The law firm is ranked 50th on the 14th edition of the listing, moving up nearly 30 spots from its 2010 ranking of 77. It is the highest-ranked Tennessee company named to the list.
In naming Baker Donelson to the list, Fortune emphasized the firm’s commitment to public service, noting it has an attorney dedicated as a pro bono shareholder to oversee charitable legal service and has doubled its yearly number of pro bono hours since 2008.
Morath appointed to Joint Commission
Julie Morath, R.N., M.S., chief quality and patient safety officer at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, has been appointed to the board of commissioners of The Joint Commission (TJC) and has been named chair of the organization’s Nursing Advisory Committee.
TJC — formerly the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) — accredits and certifies more than 18,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States. The 29-member board of commissioners serves as TJC’s ruling body.
Morath is a founding member of the Lucian Leape Institute (a patient safety group), a member of the board of governors of the National Patient Safety Foundation and a member of the National Quality Forum Safe Practices Consensus Committee.
Crumlin named Young Leader of the Year
James A. Crumlin, Jr., member of Bone McAllester Norton PLLC law firm, has been named the 2010 Young Leader of the Year by the Young Leaders Council (YLC), a Nashville-based nonprofit organization that has trained more than 1,800 men and women to effectively participate on the boards of nonprofit agencies for the past 25 years.
The Young Leader of the Year award is presented annually to an alumnus of the YLC training program who has demonstrated a commitment to ongoing community service and board leadership after graduating from YLC. A 2003 graduate of YLC Class 41, Crumlin has served two three-year terms on the YLC board and is the incoming board chair for 2011-13. He is also the president of the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee board of directors, and chair of the Matthew Walker Comprehensive HeaIth Center, Inc. board.
Crumlin also serves on the boards of Kelly Miller Smith Center against Abusive Behavior and You Have the Power, Inc., and has previously served on the Tennessee Repertory Theatre Board, Vanderbilt University Law School National Alumni Board, Vanderbilt Alumni Association Board, Association of Vanderbilt Black Alumni Board, and the Meharry Medical College National Alumni Advisory Board. Crumlin is a member and former Trustee of the Mt. Zion Baptist Church, where he served on the Project 2000 Committee, charged with overseeing the construction of the church’s $17 million facility.
Vanderbilt’s Audet receives AIDS grant
Carolyn Audet, Ph.D., assistant professor of Preventive Medicine at the Vanderbilt Institute for Global Health, has received a five-year, $850,000 federal grant to take part in a broad effort to achieve more effective AIDS treatment and prevention in Mozambique.
The President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) awarded $5 million to the University of California, San Francisco, (the lead organization in this research), the University of Washington and I-Tech, and Vanderbilt for the collective effort.
The grant will fund the testing of new methods to improve patient care, including increasing testing for sexually transmitted infections and family planning, assessing partner status and risky behavior, as well as support and community groups.
The program will include the development of a monitoring system to track referrals to other services within the health system and between health services.
It will also evaluate message delivery to patients by health providers during routine encounters and at support groups. Audet said the study is important because the funding will improve care right away.
Gangemi new director of CareSouth rehab
CareSouth Homecare Professionals, a leading provider of home health care services with agencies in eight states, has named Thomas Gangemi, PT, MBA, as corporate Director of Rehabilitation Services.
In his capacity as director, Gangemi will focus on clinical practices of Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy and Speech-Language Pathology, enhancing clinical core competencies and providing ongoing educational programming. He will also be responsible for the development and augmentation of the rehabilitation specialty programs.
Gangemi has 33 years of experience in Physical Therapy and executive leadership. Prior to coming to CareSouth, Gangemi was co-founder and president of Sunshine Therapy Associates in Sarasota, Fla. The private practice focused on the treatment of orthopedic conditions, movement disorders, and sport specific rehabilitation.
Previously, he served as Sr. Vice President of Clinical Operations for Accelerated Care Plus, LLC of Reno, Nev. Early in his career, Gangemi co-founded Atlantic Rehabilitation of Avon-by-the-Sea, N.J., and served as its president where he was responsible for the growth and management of six multi-disciplined clinics. The agency became the largest rehabilitation agency in New Jersey under his leadership.
Ruckman joins VUMC as Adult ED manager
Christopher Ruckman, R.N., MBA, will join Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s Adult Emergency Department in late January as the new Adult ED Nurse Manager.
He comes from Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C., where he has been the Emergency Department’s clinical manager.
An experienced health care professional, Ruckman has held positions as an EMT-B, ED nurse, cardiovascular ICU nurse, ED education coordinator and a nurse manager. He earned an associate’s degree in nursing and a bachelor’s degree in Management/Public Health from the University of South Carolina. He also holds a dual master’s degree in Business Administration/Human Resources from American Intercontinental University.
He is currently attending Drexel University to obtain a master’s degree in Nursing Education.